Teacher at KC International Academy to run in Boston Marathon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City educator is using her ion for teaching and her ion for running to inspire many of her international students.

That drive has now landed her a spot to compete in the Boston Marathon.

Megan Jefferson teaches at Kansas City International Academy, a K-8 school with a special focus on students who came to the U.S. as refugees.

“She’s kind and caring,” said student Abdimalik Omar. “She always looks out if we have a problem. She’s just the best teacher I could ask for.”

Jefferson is also a coach for the school’s track and cross-country teams.

“She’s just a big inspiration,” said Sarai Evans, a runner. “I look up to her when it comes to running because she just has so much ion about it, and I really appreciate her for helping me.”

The educator’s love for running helps her connect with her students. This month, she’s competing in the Boston Marathon, representing Team TCS Teachers. The Team TCS Teachers program sponsors teachers to run in the iconic marathon and provides teaching resources, as well as lesson plans.

“I’m still pinching myself that it’s going to happen in 13 days,” Multilingual Learner Specialist Megan Jefferson said. “I just feel really fortunate.”

“It’s crazy to think that my coach is going to be running a national race,” Evans added.

“We pulled up the elite field for the Boston Marathon and saw that a lot of the runners represented my students’ home countries,” Jefferson said. “They were so excited.”

Throughout Jefferson’s classroom, you can find plenty of pictures of Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time.

“It, like, gave me a shock that he ran under two hours,” said Omar. “I don’t know someone who ran less than that,”

“Beyond just being a spectacular runner, he is just a remarkable human being,” Jefferson added. “He is famous for saying, ‘No human is limited.’ That has become our classroom motto this year.”

When Jefferson laces up for the Boston Marathon in a few days, Eliud Kipchoge will be there.

“This is a bucket list dream,” she said, smiling. “This is my shot. When I come back, the kids are going to ask if I won. There are 30,000 people running this race. I tell them that I’ll do my best.”

The Boston Marathon is set for April 17. It will be Megan’s eighth marathon on her journey to run in all 50 states.

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